This is one of nine short interviews I made while at Netroots Nation last week. [Update: Tenth interview added.]

The series is called “Five Questions” (to keep it short and simple). I asked the same four questions of each respondent, and tailored a fifth question to the person I was speaking with.

Except for my own performance (I was occasionally froggy) I like the way this turned out. I certainly like the intelligence and diversity of responses, and very much appreciate the time and care each person took to answer.

The five questions, stated simply, are:

Are we still in a time of pendulum swings in American history, or are we approaching a period in which things could change permanently?

How should progressives think of Democrats — as “we” or as “they”?

What should progressive office-holders do differently to get a different, more progressive outcome (i.e., more progressive laws and policies)?

What American future do you see as most likely, even if the likelihood is only marginally more likely than others?

A question tailored to the interviewee.

Former Congressman Alan Grayson is our first interview, though this was not the first I recorded. I found him sitting in a corner in the exhibition hall, talking head-to-head with another conference-goer, looking for all the world like another civilian, another attendee. (That’s the shirt reference; a nice shirt, interesting checked pattern, but very un-Congress-like.)

This was quite a fortunate find for me. Mr. Grayson was relaxed, personable and easy to talk with — a real pleasure. I hope you agree as you listen.

(Note: We had to change locations midway through — turns out that table was reserved and only temporarily empty. You’ll hear a difference in audio for the later part of the interview. Again, forgive my occasional frogginess.)

The good people at Virtually Speaking have kindly agreed to host this audio while we sort through our other embed options for the rest of the interviews. [Embed moved to archive.org. Thanks to VS for the loan of their bandwidth!]

Five Questions: Alan Grayson with Gaius Publius, recorded at Netroots Nation 2012. Enjoy:

The full list of “Five Questions” interviews appears below. Links on names indicates that the interview has already been posted:

Archives

He's an openly-gay millennial, a military vet who served in Afghanistan, and an unabashed liberal from a decidedly red state. Mayor Pete minces no words when taking on Republicans and defending Americans most in need, and he wants to be the Democratic nominee for president in 2020.